Watching the dimples creep into Daniel's cheeks and past her defenses, Mary Elise decided "nice" didn't factor anywhere into her swirl of emotions. "Nice? Careful, Danny, or I'll change my mind."
"So you'll help me for a couple of weeks?"
"A couple of days." Hopefully enough time to formulate a new plan.
"Until I find another nanny."
Which would take at least a week. "For the boys."
"I never thought otherwise."
He ducked back into the crew compartment, leaving her alone with her thoughts and two sleeping children. The cubicle echoed without him, the repercussions of her decision crowding the confined space. Since Kent didn't know her location, a week should be safe before she risked alerting him by withdrawing money from her account. She could use the time to decide where to go and what to do with her life.
A week to stay with those two boys who'd first tugged her heart because of Daniel and then stolen her heart by being themselves. She wouldn't even let herself think about being a surrogate-mother figure to them. Her dreams of family were dead, thanks to Kent.
Mary Elise leaned forward and tucked the sailboat blanket around Austin, his puffy breaths whispering over her wrist. She started to pull away, but he grappled for her hand without waking.
Stroking a thumb over butter-soft skin, she studied the miracle of five tiny fingers and couldn't stem memories of all the babies she'd miscarried. She'd wanted to adopt, but Kent had insisted they keep trying for a biological child. She'd gone on the pill, anyway. For all the good it had done her. Then the surprise pregnancy had lasted longer than any of her other four first-trimester miscarriages.
She'd finally dared to hope.
Losing her son at twenty-four weeks had almost destroyed her. Discovering Kent had replaced her birth control pills with placebos months earlier finished the job.
Weariness swamped her along with the memories. She surrendered to the need for sleep and the tug of a chubby little hand. Mary Elise slid into the bottom bunk, curving herself protectively around Austin.
No, Kent had never raised a hand to her, which somehow made his menacing plans after she left all the more chilling. Hindsight told her she should have seen the warning signs. He'd been abusing her and controlling her in other ways for years, culminating in that final violation of her body and trust.
Now she had one week to find a new safe haven. And pray seven days of playing house with Danny and two precious boys wouldn't slice past her scar tissue into what little soul she had left.
One booted foot resting on the bottom crew bunk across from him, Daniel sprawled in the unrelenting seat. Well, as much as a guy could sprawl in the tight space. Another half hour and he would take over flying while Wren sacked out.
He should he sleeping, but couldn't. Too wired. Seeing Mary Elise now when he was still reeling from his father's death rattled him. No question.Daniel studied the three sleeping figures that had thrown his life into chaos. Sure he didn't give a damn about ironing his uniform or eating on a schedule, but he was in charge of his world and his emotions.
Or he had been until Mary Elise and the boys.
In the past hour he'd made strides in regaining control. She was staying. The boys would level out. And somehow that still didn't unkink the knot in his neck that had started right about the minute she'd turned those deep-green eyes his way for the first time in eleven years.
No risk of seeing her eyes now. She lay sleeping on the bottom bunk, her back to him, her body curved around Austin. Her hair tangled around the child and over the edge of the bed. The little guy snoozed on with his knees tucked to his chest, his blanket gripped in a white-knuckled fist.
Leaning, Daniel captured a lock of her hair and tested the silky texture between two fingers. He'd done the right thing asking her to stay. The boys had already lost their parents. They needed a familiar person to ease them through the transition.
On the top bunk, Trey rolled and shifted until he settled onto his back. All three, dead to the world.
Thank God they weren't dead period, only exhausted from the long hours and ordeal. A few more minutes of staring at them and he would have his balance back.
A shadow slid through the doorway. Daniel glanced up to find Tag waiting silently.
The Senior Master Sergeant nodded toward the bunks. "I'll watch over them if you need to catch some sleep."
"I'm set until we land. No worries."
Tag studied him silently, gaze falling to the lock of hair still twined around Daniel's fingers.
Well, hell.
Daniel dropped the strand. A lone determined hair clung to the wrist of his flight suit like before. He didn't waste energy refuting Tag's all-knowing expression. Why bother when he actually appreciated the older man's no-bull approach to life? The man appreciated facts and the uncomplicated.
Years of working top-secret test projects at Edwards AFB in California had honed Daniel's instincts. He didn't think of those instincts as anything of a woo-hoo nature. Rather, he made observations and processed them quickly. Efficiently. Two weeks into his transfer to Charleston AFB in South Carolina, Daniel had realized Tag was a troop to trust.